Referees and assistant referees from Asia, Oceania and Europe met for a week-long seminar at the Home of FIFA in Zurich in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.

Between 24 and 28 March, the 17 referees and 31 assistant referees have undergone several medical, physical, psychological and technical checks, in order to give them an impression of their current status. There has also been a new approach to the technical side, where video analysis of match situations have been used with the aim of offering uniformity, consistency and changing mentalities towards tactics, with the referees expressing themselves, sharing their opinions for reading the game and understanding different mentalities. The match officials also practiced a number of real game type scenarios, using U-21 and U-18 players from FC Zurich, as they sought to find uniformity in their decision-making process and positioning. “We had a group of referees and assistant referees here in the Home of FIFA this week, who were really motivated," FIFA's Head of Refereeing, Massimo Busacca said. "I’m very happy about their dedication and work this week".

The next seminar, starting on Monday 7 April, will see the remaining referees and assistant referees from Africa, North, Central America and the Caribbean and South America in Zurich.

Protecting players from heavy tackles will be the priority for referees at this year's World Cup in Brazil rather than other contentious issues such as diving, handball and the triple punishment. Football is generally considered to have become much less violent on the pitch in the last few years and the game's governing body FIFA said during a training week for World Cup referees on Thursday that it wanted to keep it that way. "There are always things we are asked to be vigilant on, pretty much always trying to protect the players, from heavy play, from foul play and violent play and also protecting the image of the game", 2010 World Cup final referee Howard Webb told reporters.

FIFA's head of refereeing Massimo Busacca (photo) said referees attending the World Cup, which starts on June 12, would be instructed to nip any signs of rough play in the bud. "The safety of the players is very important so the referees have to read the situation carefully at the beginning of the game," he said. "If players start committing this type of (violent) foul, we have to take action to avoid it. We have to say: 'We do not want to see this kind of football in this competition'. "This is the role of the referee, to try to understand and anticipate. Sometimes, the players forget because of the adrenalin. The role of the referee is to say: 'Do you want to play today or do you want to take a shower?' We must try to avoid these situations which can destroy football".

Although diving is considered by many observers to be the scourge of the sport, Englishman Webb said it was a relatively small headache for match officials. "It's one of the things we are always asked to be vigilant about because when it's not accurately identified it can have quite a damaging effect on the game," he said. "The message is being sent, loud and clear, to the competing teams about their responsibilities as well. If you look at the number of decisions made around simulation, they are quite low compared to the vast number of decisions we have to make," he added. "Although it's a small problem, it has a big impact when it does happen, so of course it becomes quite serious." Webb said the pace of the modern game made it almost unrecognisable from when he started 20 years ago and said the relationship between match officials and players was good. "It's almost a different sport form many years ago, so we have to adapt to that and be as quick as the players are in terms of the speed of their thought and speed of their play," he said. "In most cases, the experience I have with the players is positive, and that includes the famous players and the young players. "You are certainly aware of the increased scrutiny to when I started 20 years ago. The attention on football increases all the time. It's so important to so many people in so many ways and we feel that. We are aware of our responsibility and aware that if we do make a mistake, there will be a big reaction. We care about what we do for sure; it's not so easy for us either when we make a mistake. The flip side is when we do a good job, and many games do go fantastically well for all of us, then it's a fantastic high and a great thing to be involved in". Source: Reuters

Former vice-president of Croatia's football association (HNS) and ex-international referee Zeljko Siric (photo) was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in prison for match-rigging, state news agency Hina reported, which said that Siric was also banned from working for the HNS for eight years.

"In the world of real soccer he acted as a sovereign ruler of a virtual soccer game", said Zagreb county court judge Gordana Mihaela Grahovac. Siric was arrested in December 2011 and charged with taking bribes to influence refereeing in at least one match in the domestic championship. He was once regarded as one of the best Croatian referees and often took charge of games between bitter local rivals Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split.

Croatia stepped up efforts to crack down on widespread corruption as part of its efforts to join the European Union, which the former Yugoslav republic did in July. In 2010 around 20 players, coaches and managers were arrested for match-rigging in a betting scam. Most of them pleaded guilty and received fines or jail terms.

Andre Marriner, the referee who sent off the wrong Arsenal player on Saturday, is devastated by his mistake. Marriner made the biggest refereeing blunder of recent times when he sent off Kieran Gibbs after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handled the ball in the Arsenal area. Marriner’s closest friends say he has been deeply affected by the incident during the 6-0 away loss to Chelsea and is still struggling to come to terms with how he could have made such a mistake. Marriner was handling the Stamford Bridge clash alongside assistant referees Scott Ledger and Marc Perry, with Anthony Taylor as fourth official, and he appeared to consult one of his assistants before awarding the penalty.

Referee Andre Marriner has apologised for sending off Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs by mistake during the Gunners' 6-0 defeat by league leaders Chelsea. A penalty was awarded after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tipped Eden Hazard's shot around a post with his hand but Gibbs was shown the red card. Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed to tell Marriner that he was the culprit but the original decision stood. A statement read that Marriner was "disappointed" to have made the error. Referees' body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited said in the statement: "Incidents of mistaken identity are very rare and are often the result of a number of different technical factors. Whilst this was a difficult decision, Andre is disappointed that he failed to identify the correct player. He expressed his disappointment to Arsenal when he was made aware of the issue." Left-back Gibbs seemed confused at receiving the red card, protesting his innocence, along with his team-mates, before leaving the field. Hazard's shot was heading inches wide of goal before Oxlade-Chamberlain dived to his left to divert the ball with his fingertips.

Former top-level British and World Cup referee Clive Thomas, who said in 2012 he had lost faith in modern officials, believes the four in charge of Saturday's game should be banned for the rest of the season. "It's the most disgusting, shocking decision I've seen. In my opinion these four wouldn't officiate another Premier League game this season," the 77-year-old Welshman told BBC Radio 5 live. Thomas officiated at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany and the tournament in Argentina four years later, where he is remembered for disallowing a Zico headed goal for Brazil in a group game against Sweden by blowing for full-time while a corner ball was still in mid-air.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher defended Marriner: "Andre made a genuine mistake and that's all it was," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme. "Unless one of his officials can call him over and say you got the wrong player, which did not happen, he has to go on what he thought was correct. You cannot rely on players then trying to say 'I did this'. He made the decision in good faith and should not be stood down - he is one of the leading referees in Europe and his confidence would be shattered. Whenever he goes back the focus will inevitably be on him".

Speaking publicly for the first-time since he dismissed Gibbs instead of Arsenal team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a case of mistaken identity, Marriner confirmed he had thought about little else in the days that followed. He said: “It knocks you for six to be honest. There’s a lot of talk out there that referees make decisions, go home and don’t care about it but that’s so far from the truth. You’re continuously playing the incident over in your mind. You think about how you could’ve arrived at the right decision and ‘what could I have done differently? You draw from all these other different sorts of aspects to try and find the reason why you’ve made a mistake but equally the best thing you can do is try to park it and move on because this incident happened in the 15th minute of the game. Afterwards I analysed it to death.” I made a high profile mistake last weekend but it’s like a player who misses a penalty or goalkeeper who fails to make an easy save, you want to get back out there the week after to put those demons right. I’m delighted by the PGMOL decision, it shows what my bosses think of me as a referee and hopefully I won’t let them down and I’ll be able go out on Saturday and perform at my usual high standard. I’ve met all my colleagues this week so I’ve received a little bit of banter from them which has been good natured. I’ve been down in the dumps and it’s made me smile and hopefully I’ve got my mojo back. You’ve got to draw on your experience and look at the good things you’ve achieved over a number of years. I took charge of the FA Cup final last year and you’ve got to take strength of character from that as it’s the biggest game in English club football. I achieved that by doing things right so you draw from those experiences and it’s about getting back out there and putting things right. The players experience the same things we do when they go home and think can they do better and as a referee I’m no different”.

Major League Soccer’s referees were locked out Friday, a day before the season openers. The Professional Referee Organization, which manages game officials for the U.S. Soccer Federation and MLS, notified the Professional Soccer Referee Association of the lockout and said replacement officials will be used. PRO said the union, which was formed last year, rejected a no strike-no lockout agreement that management had proposed. The sides have bargained since July without reaching a deal on a labor contract. “Our proposal represents a significant increase above current compensation for referees and places them above the average for officials around the world,” said PRO general manager Peter Walton, an English Premier League referee from 2003-12. PRO said in the 1½ years since its formation, it had increased full-time officials from two to nine and added 11 part-time officials. The PSRA has filed unfair labor practice charges accusing the PRO of bad-faith bargaining and making threats against its members. “We have requested a plethora of information, including financials, that PRO and MLS have refused to provide, instead demanding we take their pleas of poverty at face value”, said Lukas Middlebrook, a lawyer for the union.

Former World Cup referee candidate Wilson Seneme (BRA, 44) decided to retire early in order to accept the proposal to replace his countryman Salvio Fagundes as a member of the CONMEBOL Referees Committee.

On the FIFA List since 2006, Seneme (photo) refereed 31 international matches, including a Copa Sudamericana final, 4 games at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. As a pre-selected referee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Wilson Seneme refereed 3 qualifiers, but then he was removed from the list (and replaced by Ricci) due to failing the fitness test. “At 44, I feel that I am ready for new challenges. When I was presented with the opportunity to join the CONMEBOL Referees Committee, I accepted because I want to use my practical experience in developing South American refereeing”, said Seneme for ESPN Brazil. “I believe that I did my best as a referee. I made mistakes, like any other referee, but I was honest and I did more positive things. Now it is the time to use my experience in developing younger referees”.

The football association in Cyprus has postponed all first division matches this weekend after a bombing damaged the car of a top referee. An explosive device was placed on the hood of referee Leontios Trattou’s car in a parking lot outside his apartment in a Nicosia suburb, police said. No one was injured in the pre-dawn blast, but his car and another vehicle were damaged. It wasn’t immediately clear why Trattou may have been targeted, but the Cypriot league is tightly contested this season and passions are running high among supporters. Football in Cyprus is dogged by hooliganism and referees, including Trattou, are often the target of abuse by overzealous fans. Unruly fans allegedly attacked Trattou after a local friendly match last summer.

Trattou (photo) is the president of Cyprus’ referees’ association and he has overseen World Cup qualifiers, and Champions League and Europa League matches. Instantly recognisable with his shaved head, the 41-year-old Trattou is considered to be among Cyprus’ best referees and is often called upon to handle some of the toughest domestic league matches. The Cyprus Referees’ Association said in a statement that previous appeals for authorities to protect their members from “cowardly masked bandits” have gone unheeded. Both the football association and the country’s top sports body condemned the bombing as a “terrorist attack.” The players’ association said it stands in full solidarity with Trattou and all other referees.Source: ProReferee

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) convened at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on Saturday for its Annual General Meeting (AGM), chaired by FIFA President Blatter. This meeting was the 128th AGM since The IFAB was formed in 1886 and the first since the historic foundation meeting on 13 January 2014, which marked a new era for football’s rule-making body in becoming an independent association under the Swiss Civil Code. FIFA President Blatter opened the meeting by highlighting the importance of the new structure, which includes two new advisory panels – a Technical Panel and a Football Panel – ensuring a more proactive approach and broader consultation by including different stakeholders from across the world of football to support The IFAB before decisions are passed. The composition of the advisory panels was discussed at today’s AGM. A draft list will be finalised by The IFAB in the coming weeks and the two panels confirmed in due course once the invitations have been sent out and all members have accepted.

In relation to the Laws of the Game, The IFAB approved the modification to the interpretation of ‘Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment’ specifying the provisions by which male and female players can now wear head covers. After a two-year pilot, The IFAB agreed that there was no indication as to why the wearing of head covers should be prohibited, as long as their design restrictions are respected in line with the new wording of Law 4, agreed on at today’s AGM. Law 4 was also modified today to clarify that both compulsory equipment and undergarments must not have any kind of slogans, statements or images. Previously, what a player could reveal on any item of basic compulsory equipment was different to what he or she could wear on an undergarment. The IFAB therefore approved the clarification in order to have a consistent approach that is also easier to regulate.

On the agenda point relating to rolling subs for amateur/recreational football, which was submitted by The Football Association (FA) and The Scottish Football Association (SFA), The IFAB decided that the pilots initiated by The FA and the SFA shall continue and that the results will be submitted to the two new advisory panels for further discussion.

The matter of electronic performance and tracking systems, which relates to players wearing chips or other small devices that can monitor player performance, will be referred to the advisory panels. The first report that the panels will receive will be from next week’s Algarve Cup in Portugal, where The IFAB has initiated and permitted a trial of some of these systems for the senior women’s teams involved.

For the submission from UEFA relating to the use of ‘Sin Bins’ in recreational youth football, The IFAB agreed that the experiments may continue, under the control of The IFAB, and that the advisory panels should further deliberate on the matter.

UEFA also submitted a proposal to remove the red card given for any offence denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity inside the penalty area. The IFAB acknowledged that the so-called ‘triple punishment’ has been heavily debated including concerns that, if red cards were to be removed, it would lead to cynical fouls – as was the case under the previous wording of ‘Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct’ in relation to sending off offences. It was decided that the advisory panels should consider the matter to analyse how Law 12 might be further clarified.

The IFAB will also instruct the two advisory panels to discuss Law 12 with respect to handling the ball, after an initial proposal from the Football Association of Wales (FAW), to advise if any modification should be made.

After a discussion on the potential use of video replays for match officials, The IFAB remains of the view that technology should be allowed only for goal-line incidents, since it is a clear yes or no decision. Concerns were raised about video replays slowing the game down or increasing the number of stoppages.

A proposal from the Technical Sub-Committee was approved whereby The IFAB will appoint a group to revise the structure and format of the Laws of the Game including changes such as the addition of a glossary. This glossary will help to clarify wording in the Laws. For instance, since 'Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play: Dropped Ball' was changed at the 126th IFAB AGM in March 2012, there has still been some discussion on the interpretation of the word ‘direct.’ At today’s AGM, The IFAB noted that a new glossary will help to better define the wording in this case and others.

The modifications to the Laws of the Game made at today’s AGM will come into effect on 1 June 2014, taking into account the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The 129th Annual General Meeting will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 27 February - 1 March 2015.